Re: Which Enid Blyton books are considered her best writing?
Posted: 22 Jul 2017, 08:05
I would rate the 'best overall series' by Enid, ie a consistent record of first-class writing, as being the Adventure series - a great sense of atmosphere throughout and a variety of settings plus memorable characters who you care about. The question of which are the best of these books is bound to be influenced by personal favourites, which may not be the strongest of the series - in my case I read 'Circus' then 'Island' first so these are my favourites, but the best writing is in 'Valley' and 'Sea'.
Asessing the best writing as combining a coherent and descriptive 'atmosphere' throughout, adding to a strong plot (often several plots running together) and strong characters, my top rating for individual books is for:
Famous Five - Smugglers Top, Get Into Trouble, On A Hike Together, Go Down To The Sea. 'Hike' is possibly the best for overall atmosphere.
The Secret Island, and perhaps Mountain for the strong (if a bit cliched) storyline of the menacing lost tribe.
The Barney series - most atmospheric is Rubadub, but Rilloby Fair has best comedy.
Both Six Cousins books, though perhaps the 'villainous gypsies' storyline in the second book detracts a bit from it despite the strong picture of how Rose's family nearly breaks up.
Hurrah for the Circus and Circus Days Again - a strong picture of a community co-operating together, in the second book facing disaster from a 'control freak' outsider (Britomart).
House At The Corner - the best family book, with another close-knit group under threat: this time from their own flaws as well as accident/ money. (A better-developed equivalent of Red-Roofs)
In the school books, both the 'girls school' series are really well constructed and full of memorable characters and events; the plotting can be strong in St Clares (especially Fifth Formers with the night-time chaos episode) but overall MT (written later) is more descriptive; the Fifth Form book is the strongest.
I am leaving out the Find Outers books, because their focus is more on the plot than on 'detail' in descriptive writing and character - the plots of some (eg Burnt Cottage, Tally-Ho Cottage and Strange Messages) are however some of Enid's best constructions.
Asessing the best writing as combining a coherent and descriptive 'atmosphere' throughout, adding to a strong plot (often several plots running together) and strong characters, my top rating for individual books is for:
Famous Five - Smugglers Top, Get Into Trouble, On A Hike Together, Go Down To The Sea. 'Hike' is possibly the best for overall atmosphere.
The Secret Island, and perhaps Mountain for the strong (if a bit cliched) storyline of the menacing lost tribe.
The Barney series - most atmospheric is Rubadub, but Rilloby Fair has best comedy.
Both Six Cousins books, though perhaps the 'villainous gypsies' storyline in the second book detracts a bit from it despite the strong picture of how Rose's family nearly breaks up.
Hurrah for the Circus and Circus Days Again - a strong picture of a community co-operating together, in the second book facing disaster from a 'control freak' outsider (Britomart).
House At The Corner - the best family book, with another close-knit group under threat: this time from their own flaws as well as accident/ money. (A better-developed equivalent of Red-Roofs)
In the school books, both the 'girls school' series are really well constructed and full of memorable characters and events; the plotting can be strong in St Clares (especially Fifth Formers with the night-time chaos episode) but overall MT (written later) is more descriptive; the Fifth Form book is the strongest.
I am leaving out the Find Outers books, because their focus is more on the plot than on 'detail' in descriptive writing and character - the plots of some (eg Burnt Cottage, Tally-Ho Cottage and Strange Messages) are however some of Enid's best constructions.